Actress Cindy Chu Says LAPD Handcuffed Her, Used 'Unnecessary' Force Responding to 911 Call

An actress has said officers with the Los Angeles Police Department used "unnecessary" force while responding to a 911 call that falsely reported domestic violence at her address.

"Last night, LAPD pounded on our door & demanded my partner & I step out in the hallway to be cuffed without telling us what they were even here for," Cindy Chu wrote in a Twitter thread on Monday that has since gone viral.

"Then they took us inside our apt, looked for other ppl inside, & separated us for questioning."

Chu, who has appeared on shows including Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver and New Girl, said it was only when she and her partner were handcuffed inside her apartment that officers explained they were responding to a domestic violence call.

"A call had been made saying there was domestic violence happening in our particular apt: screaming, crying, things being thrown," she wrote. "Didn't matter we told them we'd just gotten home from dinner, that it wasn't us. They told us this after we were handcuffed & inside our apt."

Chu said she was then "taken over by the kitchen, made to face the wall, & given a full pat down for weapons."

She said she was questioned about her relationship and if there was a past history of abuse, despite her repeated protestations that officers had the wrong apartment.

"They even played back the message from dispatch with our address. As they figured out we obviously weren't fighting & the apt # must be incorrect, they eased & released us, & said they were going to talk to who called on us," she said.

"What I'm wondering is how is it okay to just traumatize people when they may be innocent?" Chu told Newsweek.

"I understand cops need to protect themselves, too, or that if something had been going on that the victim may try to lie when cops show up, but the initial force and yelling we experienced wasn't necessary.

"I think I even told the male cop he was scaring me and freaking me out with his behavior."

An LAPD spokesperson told Newsweek: "A complaint has been generated based on the Twitter statement. All body-worn video will be reviewed."

Chu said she filed a request under California's open records law to get a copy of the 911 call that led officers to her home, to determine if the incident was a mistake or a case of "swatting"—where someone makes a hoax call to harass or endanger the person at an address.

"I'll be calling the station to discuss this false call & how all the extra force was completely unnecessary," Chu had said in a tweet.

She told Newsweek that she was connected to voicemail when she tried to call on Tuesday and isn't sure she'll try again. "It feels a bit daunting," she said.

"It definitely raised my anxiety levels a lot," she said. "I was scared to walk the dogs later that night after the cops had left. I'm upset that this seems to be regular protocol and that innocent people are treated like criminals until proven innocent, that's not how our system is supposed to work."

Update 2/8/22, 11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add a comment from the LAPD.

Update 2/9/22, 4:53 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comments from Cindy Chu.

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